The women of Roller Derby are a hit in Houston

Good bad girls

LOUIS B. PARKS, Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Sunday, May 28, 2006

Tearing through the jam, scoring a point with every skater she flashes or bashes past, Catazon -- primo jammer for the Burlesque Brawlers -- leaves more than one enemy skater plopped unceremoniously on her tush. Once she breaks into the open, Catazon promptly puts her arms on her powerful hips, instantly ending the jam, having added points to the Brawlers' score.

A big smile? Not likely. Catazon's too intense and way too cool for that. But there's no mistaking the celebratory cockiness as she turns her back to the fans and, still skating around the rink, flips up her short skirt, letting her panties flash her victory cry: "MEOW!"

"I think my in-laws were a little surprised," says Catazon -- real name Marie Cassens -- 35, of her physical performance and saucy display. "They know me more as sweet Marie, the classic librarian, very retiring, very shy. Not so much in your face."

Attitude is a byword in sports, and in their first season, Houston Roller Derby women have it up to their aspirations to win at all costs. Their supporters love both the playful costumes and the "we're good at being bad" posturing.

And fans, at least the women, like that behind-the-derby names such as Cara Scene, Felanie, The Prosecutor, Patsy Crime, Tawdry Hepburn are teachers, housewives, executives, cosmeticians, writers, moms and even a lawyer. All paying for the privilege to play, including buying all their own clothes and skates.

For its inaugural year, Houston Roller Derby has four teams, each with its own look: Bayou City Bosses, Machete Betties, the Brawlers and, currently leading the league with a 3-0 record, the Sirens. They're halfway through the regular season, with one double-header bout a month in June, July and August, leading to the championship match Sept. 9 at the Arabia Shrine Temple, 2900 North Braeswood.

You can find basic rules at www.houstonrollerderby.com, but women's roller derby is less about rules than something more visceral, more liberating, more fun. Go to a bout, watch the action, talk to the screaming fans between jams, and you'll quickly learn what you need to know. Roller derby is about sass, speed, aggression and female empowerment.

"I played tackle football (for the Austin Rage) for three years, and we got zero respect for that," says Catazon, who stands 6 feet 4 inches in skates. "Roller derby probably has a thousand more people at the games. It's more acknowledged because women are still being women. They put on outfits that aren't really sporty, they're more sexy."

Despite the winking names and costumes, the feel at a bout is more like football than wrestling. Ask a player if anything is faked and prepare to duck.

"Nothing is staged" says Becky Booty (Rebekah Owen) of the Brawlers, a mother of three. "We hang out with the other team, but when we're out there (on the rink) the object of the game is to win."

Still, members of the four teams feel very much part of a club, sharing an inside secret.

"There is a camaraderie between us, because we are doing something most people can't do," Catazon says. "I'm a big woman and I have the ability to injure people. If I see someone go down I'm constantly worried, 'Oh, did I hurt her?' Out there on the rink, we want to hit each other and we want to win, but we don't take it off the rink. We're friends."